I wouldn't be surprised if any of the things you listed happened, but I thought that scene looked a bit exaggerated in the trailer, so I imagine that scene is more stress-induced than something as serious as the causes you mentioned.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Enlightened Season 2 |OT| Even agents of change get cancelled sometimes.
- Thread starter anaron
- Start date
- Status
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Moar critics need to hop on the bandwagon. There are only 2 episodes left! I feel like there needs to be a "Save Enlightened" Twitter campaign or something. :/
Macleans: 'The second age of Enlightenment' by Jaime Weinman
He makes some great points and while I don't find myself agreeing with all of them or his assumption that Amy is going to end up the hero she wants to be, I will agree in preferring season one's styling:
That being said, Enlightened is still easily my favourite show currently on TV.
He makes some great points and while I don't find myself agreeing with all of them or his assumption that Amy is going to end up the hero she wants to be, I will agree in preferring season one's styling:
I don’t think the second season has been quite as overwhelming as the first, though that still leaves it as one of the most interesting shows on TV. Mike White, who created the show, acts in it, and writes every episode, made some subtle changes to try and get a slightly bigger audience, as outlined in this New York Times article. In keeping with convention, he added more of a serialized story to the season, reducing the first season’s sense of floating in space, of not quite knowing what you’re going to get from episode to episode. That has still left plenty of room for digressions and for a spotlight episode unrelated to the main plot (“Higher Power,” almost like an episode of a completely separate show, though it’s related to the overall theme that the ideas Amy advocates are more helpful than they see to be at first glance). But still, most of the show is about Laura Dern’s attempt to expose wrongdoing at the company she works for, shifting most of the action to the office and away from her home life. The most problematic part of that is that this leaves Dern’s mother, played by her real-life mother Diane Ladd, without much to do. Her character was maybe the best part of the first season, and the focus of the best episode (“Consider Helen”. So seeing her screen time go to a younger new character, the investigative reporter played by Dermot Mulroney, is a bit of a downer.
That being said, Enlightened is still easily my favourite show currently on TV.
Me too.
dead souls
Member
Agreed. Since it's on HBO it truly could go either way. I won't be shocked if it stays or goes, though I obviously hope it comes back.
here's the promo for next week's episode
http://www.hbo.com/#/enlightened/ep...y5zMXsjGyMXIyMrJJJ5aW5BfkJFbalhSVpgIAXbkXOA==
http://www.hbo.com/#/enlightened/ep...y5zMXsjGyMXIyMrJJJ5aW5BfkJFbalhSVpgIAXbkXOA==
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
Outro to Joni Mitchell's 'Court and Spark'. This damn show <3
Slate: Please Start Watching Enlightened
also
D:
Maybe we should be going into panic mode...
also
https://twitter.com/mikewhiteMW/status/303998951001030656
D:
Maybe we should be going into panic mode...
I'd be extremely disappointed if it didn't come back, but I wouldn't be surprised. But I don't think there are many tea leaves to read, for better or worse.
I think we should petition to get this thread stickied.
that plus joanna newsom seeing it out the week before compared to adele in season 1 makes me reject any suggestions of season 1 being better
though on that point i think their styles compliment each-other nicely.
at least get the 'hidden' taken out the thread title so people know what's up
maybe also the 'on hbo'
i rewatched the most recent episode and it's just as good.
there's three scenes in that episode which really strike me as being particularly impressive and which in tandem demonstrate the range and skill in how enlightened captures humanity with its characters.
- the first one is the narrated montage with amy falling for jeff. when ivysaur12 says the show is poetry this is what comes to mind to me. i mean there's the dreamy beauty of the scene with the gorgeous warmth of the slow piano music, the sequence of romantic images and the stylized poetic nature of the narration "did i conjure you" "can you make your own heaven in this life" which could easily come straight from a terrence malick film. it works as a very pure encapsulation of the way your heart flutters when you're first falling for someone and literally everything about them is amazing, yet the subtext is there too; you have an illustration of amy's endearing naivety, the way she opens herself up to the world without caution or fear, the way she thinks in broad metaphors and concepts instead of concrete things.
jeff on the other hand is portrayed as being far less intimate especially in the preceding scene in the diner where he talks about wanting new experiences rather than something permanent. later in the episode you have the dialogue where he talks about how he likes going to a new place for the first time and corroborated by his unwillingness to share any real details on the article. they are similar but so different - the scene at the charity event a couple of episodes ago is a great microcosm of this.
- the next scene is the extended dialogue between levi and amy in the park. it's very different, just a real feeling conversation yet it's as effective. the way it takes two characters the show has made the audience like and balances your sympathies for the two in their conflict is expertly judged. both are in the right, but also in the wrong and it's all understandable.
levi immediately wanting to see amy and tell her how he feels is understandable given his epiphany on the self-help course where he realizes her importance to him, i mean if she's the most important thing in his life why would he go home and watch tv for a bit instead of seeing her first, it would seem pointless. yet amy's negative and sceptical reaction to such a sudden appearance is totally understandable given the surprise, the context of the evening and the letter being the last she heard from him.
as is helen's overtly negative reaction given how much he's hurt amy and his history with impulsive moves, and amy's desire to have this conversation more intimately and give levi a chance to explain himself.
then in the park levi pouring out his heart is obvious, i mean it's amy he's talking to the one who is all about heart and encouraged him to do it and his newfound regret for how he lived his life makes him want to make amends. yet amy's conflicted emotional response being both overwhelmed by hearing these things she wanted to hear and angry knowing that they are too late and having spent so much effort getting over him, is so honest and human and hurtful to levi despite being right it breaks my heart.
the kicker is the brief baby encounter. it's an obnoxious thing for levi to say, i mean he's just heard amy say she can't deal with this right now and needs time to think and you throw that on her, but god if you'd just had his big reconciliation you'd built up for go wrong wouldn't you want to bring out the thing that really shows how much you've changed and how much you love her.
it's a short scene but it's stunning and the complex web of feelings and intentions clashing in it really speaks to what a good job the team have done at creating such real characters.
- the final one that i think is amazing is amy's panic attack and helen's embrace. while it builds off the strength of the rest of the episode to feel warned, it has no real dialogue or fancy editing to speak for it, it's just a pure expression of human emotion in visual form and the acting talent pulls it off so well. capturing amy's fragile state of mind at all the stuff that she's dealing with and not knowing how to process it and illustrating helen's desire to help but having no idea how to do it properly or really get close to her daughter. i couldn't help but shed a tear even knowing it was happening.
anyway that ended up being much longer than i expected, sorry for the fucking essay*. i just wanted to talk about some stuff i thought was great in a truly brilliant episode to help process it.
*that reminds me how good enlightened is to do it all in thirty minutes
there's three scenes in that episode which really strike me as being particularly impressive and which in tandem demonstrate the range and skill in how enlightened captures humanity with its characters.
- the first one is the narrated montage with amy falling for jeff. when ivysaur12 says the show is poetry this is what comes to mind to me. i mean there's the dreamy beauty of the scene with the gorgeous warmth of the slow piano music, the sequence of romantic images and the stylized poetic nature of the narration "did i conjure you" "can you make your own heaven in this life" which could easily come straight from a terrence malick film. it works as a very pure encapsulation of the way your heart flutters when you're first falling for someone and literally everything about them is amazing, yet the subtext is there too; you have an illustration of amy's endearing naivety, the way she opens herself up to the world without caution or fear, the way she thinks in broad metaphors and concepts instead of concrete things.
jeff on the other hand is portrayed as being far less intimate especially in the preceding scene in the diner where he talks about wanting new experiences rather than something permanent. later in the episode you have the dialogue where he talks about how he likes going to a new place for the first time and corroborated by his unwillingness to share any real details on the article. they are similar but so different - the scene at the charity event a couple of episodes ago is a great microcosm of this.
- the next scene is the extended dialogue between levi and amy in the park. it's very different, just a real feeling conversation yet it's as effective. the way it takes two characters the show has made the audience like and balances your sympathies for the two in their conflict is expertly judged. both are in the right, but also in the wrong and it's all understandable.
levi immediately wanting to see amy and tell her how he feels is understandable given his epiphany on the self-help course where he realizes her importance to him, i mean if she's the most important thing in his life why would he go home and watch tv for a bit instead of seeing her first, it would seem pointless. yet amy's negative and sceptical reaction to such a sudden appearance is totally understandable given the surprise, the context of the evening and the letter being the last she heard from him.
as is helen's overtly negative reaction given how much he's hurt amy and his history with impulsive moves, and amy's desire to have this conversation more intimately and give levi a chance to explain himself.
then in the park levi pouring out his heart is obvious, i mean it's amy he's talking to the one who is all about heart and encouraged him to do it and his newfound regret for how he lived his life makes him want to make amends. yet amy's conflicted emotional response being both overwhelmed by hearing these things she wanted to hear and angry knowing that they are too late and having spent so much effort getting over him, is so honest and human and hurtful to levi despite being right it breaks my heart.
the kicker is the brief baby encounter. it's an obnoxious thing for levi to say, i mean he's just heard amy say she can't deal with this right now and needs time to think and you throw that on her, but god if you'd just had his big reconciliation you'd built up for go wrong wouldn't you want to bring out the thing that really shows how much you've changed and how much you love her.
it's a short scene but it's stunning and the complex web of feelings and intentions clashing in it really speaks to what a good job the team have done at creating such real characters.
- the final one that i think is amazing is amy's panic attack and helen's embrace. while it builds off the strength of the rest of the episode to feel warned, it has no real dialogue or fancy editing to speak for it, it's just a pure expression of human emotion in visual form and the acting talent pulls it off so well. capturing amy's fragile state of mind at all the stuff that she's dealing with and not knowing how to process it and illustrating helen's desire to help but having no idea how to do it properly or really get close to her daughter. i couldn't help but shed a tear even knowing it was happening.
anyway that ended up being much longer than i expected, sorry for the fucking essay*. i just wanted to talk about some stuff i thought was great in a truly brilliant episode to help process it.
*that reminds me how good enlightened is to do it all in thirty minutes
Anyone have the latest ratings?
We could always talk about it more to keep it higher on the thread listings, lol.
We could always talk about it more to keep it higher on the thread listings, lol.
thanks
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Anyone have the latest ratings?
I think they were delayed until tomorrow.
crackhead_bob
Member
Has anyone ever seen Citizen Ruth? It was a satire film that Laura Dern starred in back in 1996. Low budget but very underappreciated comedy, given the thorny subject matter of abortion. Miramax coined it "a pro-laugh comedy."
Sea turtles are epic @1:46.
Sea turtles are epic @1:46.
well it was good while it lasted.
dead souls
Member
Ouch. It's only funny when crappy shows get terrible ratings.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
What are you guys talking about? While still bad, those are the highest ratings the show has received in quite some time.
Yup! Let's do this! Series high for the last two episodes. I believe!
Citizen Ruth is amazing. My favourite Dern role til Amy Jellicoe came about.
and yay to series high!
btw, the scene has been Youtube'd.
the direction, narration, lighting, music, EVERYTHING. so perfect
201 was the series high, I was saying I think it's possible for the last two episodes to get a series high.
oh whoops. my mistake.
well at least it's going in the right direction now
Yeah, I read that way too. lol
yay @ *potential* series highs
-Pyromaniac-
Member
The only reason I watched this show ever was because I watch girls and this is on right after so why not but I find this show to be much more rewarding. Very understated.
crackhead_bob
Member
and yay to series high!
What are the chances that this will be renewed? I love Laura Dern, and I want this show to succeed, but will critical praise alone warrant its renewal? If I recall correctly, HBO gauges its viewership based on subscribers. They're not bound to Nielsen ratings like the Networks. I really don't want this show to suffer the same fate as Deadwood.
It's a joke that Entourage was popular, while other more deserving shows were given the axe.
That was a fearless performance she pulled off. Abortion as the backdrop of comedy/satire has to be a real hard sell, but both her and director Alex Payne pulled it off in spades, even if it didn't translate into box office gold. I love especially that they didn't make Ruth into a more sympathetic character either. She was selfish, ignorant, and had nary a redeeming value to her. Handled by another director, she would have been a cliched, wiser than her years, sophisticate of a personality.
And all of the supporting characters were great too. M.C. Gainey as the legless Vietnam vet. Swoozie Kurtz, Burt Reynolds as the slimy televangelist. They also managed to get Dern's mother in a cameo too. The megaphone exchange made me fall off the sofa laughing when I saw it for the first time 12 years ago. Kurtwood Smith did a great job in this too, as I was used to seeing him playing psychotics in films like Quick Change and Robocop. Who'd have thought that Clarence Boddicker was prolife! It actually took me awhile to get used to that casting decision. I also loved that the film took no sides either. I'm surprised no one in the press bothers to cite her performance in this film, given that it's probably one of her best efforts.
youtube has some great clips:
"I ain't no fucking telegram, bitch."
"what if I aborted you"
Entourage was awesome, and yes I agree that deserving shows like How to Make it In America got the axe while Girls is entering it's 3rd season.
As for this, too hard to say. Probably won't return, but there's a chance I'm sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFMRI9x00Fw
I know the Emmys are a complete joke, but just...how the hell were these two not nominated?
I know the Emmys are a complete joke, but just...how the hell were these two not nominated?
They weren't eligible for S2 right? But yeah they deserved S1 noms too. I expect more nominations next year honestly.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Season 2 will be nominate-able at this year's Emmys.
Oh they definitely should've been nominated for S1 and S2 obviously wasn't eligible. I just mean, from the beginning they have consistently been handing in some of the finest acting ever and it's gross how unappreciated it is. Especially so, because any prominent/prestigious (lol) award nominations would guarantee a renewal.
crackhead_bob
Member
So what's holding it back? It's frustrating to see a show with such promise and talent going unnoticed. Why is this show so difficult to market to audiences? They managed to pull it off with Entourage, which was a piece of crap, in my view.
Season one premiered almost unannounced, coupled with essentially no buzz. Most critics either completely ignored it or found it "challenging and too uncomfortable."
...yeah
With the general reception constantly warm and growing, I think season 2 should at the very least serve as an example of what accompanying recognition can do for ratings, however small they are. The show is bound to make several more "best of" lists this year, so I think should there be a season 3, it'll come back to much higher ratings.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Assuming HBO gives it a third season, I hope they'd give it a better lead in. Or at least put it behind Girls again and give Girls a (better) lead in.
Well Laura Dern did win the Golden Globe (I think it was for Comedy, although I think Enlightened is most definitely a drama) and the show received a best of award nomination. But yeah, I expect S2 to be much more recognized at the end of the year. Let's just hope it's not post-humous
crackhead_bob
Member
So do you think that this show has the potential to gain a Johnny come lately level of popularity on the level of Seinfeld? Or will it go the way of Freaks and Geeks?
definitely going to check this out. i really enjoyed alexander payne's sideways and the descendants so hopefully i'll like it for more than just laura dern who i'm sure is amazing.
On the level of Seinfeld? No, because their respective platforms don't compare (network vs cable) and that's an insane standard to expect any show to meet in 2013.
On the level of other prestige considered TV? (Mad Men, Breaking Bad,) Absolutely.
crackhead_bob
Member
I listened to an interview he had on NPR. I had no idea that his father was once a big shot in the evangelical nutjob movement in the 1970's. His father was Mel White, a big shot in the Moral Majority. He gave some pretty interesting insights on being the son of a former evangelical preacher. I wonder how much of his earlier experience influenced his work on the show. Mike White describes himself as a non-committed Buddhist. Such an interesting teamup between him and Dern, who could not have been more worlds apart in terms of their early life experiences.
I really wish I had access to HBO right now. As it were, I'm stuck having to wait a year before seasons are released on bluray.
I really wish I had access to HBO right now. As it were, I'm stuck having to wait a year before seasons are released on bluray.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Link to interview?
- Status